Battlefield V for PlayStation 4: Everything you need to know

Battlefield fans rejoice: the series is returning to World War 2, but this time with the power of the Frostbite engine behind it. This should make for the most realistic and action-packed World War 2 multiplayer shooter we've ever seen. Everything you need to know about Battlefield V is straight ahead.

What's new in Battlefield V?

December 4, 2018 — Battlefield V's first content drop has been delayed

EA and DICE have announced a delay for Battlefield V's first planned content drop. Named Tides of War, the company originally announced that it would be a multi-part update schedule that would be free for all players, but the first chapter — Overture — has missed its launch date today.

The team has discovered an issue with the #Battlefield Chapter 1: Overture update. Rather than create issues in the game, we’re holding the update for the time being. We don’t anticipate a long delay and we’ll be back with more news tomorrow or as soon as we have it. pic.twitter.com/bc6xlWPc8e

The reason for the delay is due to an unforeseen last-minute issue that the team needs more time to properly address. They would prefer to take time and ensure this issue is taken care of instead of potentially introducing new issues for players. Unfortunately, they don't yet have an idea when things will get rolling, though they noted they don't anticipate it'll take very long to handle.

Once it does finally arrive, you'll find a new War Story called Last Tiger, a new multiplayer map, new vehicle customization options, and the beginning of weekly events and rewards.

What is Battlefield V?

We weren't sure which direction DICE would go with Battlefield V after the previous entry - Battlefield 1 - took the series back to its World War 1 roots. With a new mainline entry, we thought the company might look to go with a more modern approach or go a completely different direction with a war they have yet to explore, but it appears they were eager to apply their World War 2 expertise to the new Frostbite engine.

Battlefield V will be a familiar game in that regard. It'll be a beautiful first-person shooter that should capture that old wartime feeling like no other. The game will be all about multiplayer, but there's still a bit of fun to be had for those who aren't in it for the competitiveness.

Single Player

With Battlefield 1, DICE tried something a bit different with their single-player component. Instead of a single lengthy campaign that follows one story that retells the same iconic battles that have been told 100 times, it focused on smaller multiple stories, ones which don't often get the same kind of attention as, say, the D-Day landings in World War 2.

Expect that to continue in Battlefield V. We're not yet sure which stories will be told, but if Battlefield 1 is anything to go by then we know they'll often follow individual soldiers or smaller brigades. DICE is likely to use each individual campaign as an opportunity to deliver vastly different gameplay experiences. One might have you marching on the frontlines to storm an enemy foothold, while you might be taking to the skies to dogfight in another.

We're also getting a cooperative mode called Combined Arms, a separate set of stories designed to be played with up to four people.

Multiplayer

As you'd expect, multiplayer will be the bread and butter of Battlefield V. There aren't many games that deliver the level of large-scale that these games do while maintaining a high level of immersion.

In typical Battlefield fashion, a mix of infantry and vehicular combat will make for unpredictable and exciting matches. It'll have all the staple elements of the series, including massive maps, tons of players, and destructible environments.

You'll do battle on a variety of game modes, including Domination, Conquest, Frontlines, Team Deathmatch and Breakthrough.

Grand Operations, an epic, large-scale warfare mode, also returns. Our own Reb Valentine spent time with the mode at E3 2018. As she describes it:

Grand Operations is a massive battle that takes place over three days. Your team's success, either as attackers or defenders, will determine your resources on subsequent days, such as troops, ammo, and medkits. On the final day, no one is able to respawn, allowing the fight to determine the ultimate victor of the battle.

Fans of Battle Royale games like Fortnite and PUBG will be happy to learn that Battlefield V will have a Royale mode of its own. We're told to expect all the classic tropes of the genre, but with all the stuff that makes Battlefield special.

While multiplayer elements mostly remain unchanged - you defend or capture some sort of objective, or simply aim to kill everyone in sight - there is one new mechanic worth pointing out. You can now build fortifications such as trenches, sandbag walls, and barbed wire hazards. Another change is that the revive mechanic can now be used by any class, and you can drag your teammates to safety before going to revive them.

Class changes

A big part of Battlefield are the various classes you can play as in the game. You have Assault, Medic, Support, and Sniper.

The Support player specializes in building fortifications, repairing vehicles, and supplying ammo to teammates. In previous games, the ammo supply mechanic wasn't handy for anything other than replenishing your explosives, as firearm rounds were plentiful. DICE is looking to lessen the amount of starting ammo you get to make the class more meaningful (though players can also pick up extra ammo off of fallen enemies and comrades). You'll be able to build advanced fortifications that other classes can't, such as a machine gun nest.

Medics are still focused on healing or reviving allies. Any player can revive a teammate, sure, but that teammate has to be in your squad, and they'll only get a partial health pool on recovery. Only the medic can revive or heal a teammate to full health using their medkit. Their healing action will also be faster, giving you an excellent reason to play the role if you want to keep your squad healthy.

DICE hasn't detailed changes to the other two classes, but Snipers are typically only focused on picking off foes from afar and will have a range of tools to keep them safe wherever they decide to hole up. The Assault class, meanwhile, will provide the best balance of firepower and utility.

You can customize classes by changing your exact gear, guns, loadouts, and attachments, but there are also new cosmetic customization options that'll let you stand out even more. You can now change your gender, race, add face paint, change clothing, and use cool new headgear. You can also give your vehicles a different look with skins and modifications.

Free DLC

Battlefield V will have free post-launch DLC, DICE has confirmed. That means new maps and modes will be accessible to all players without the need to buy them individually or buy a season pass. This is a great move that will solve the issue of community fragmentation.

DICE plans to make up for the money lost through battle packs, which is their cute name for loot boxes. These should only offer cosmetics for the class customization options mentioned above.